Trolley-pole controller.



-PATENTED JAN. 14, 1908.v

O. A. ROSS. vTROLLEY POLL CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. l2. 1906.

s SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Y mi@ lul...

IIIII...

N s.1.a76, 492. i PATBNTED JAN.14, 1908.

o. A. Ross.

TROLLEY'POLB CONTROLLER. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12. 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mmv

1| mlm MMM No. 876,492. PATENTEE JAN. 14, 1908. O. A. EOss.

rEEOLLEE POLE OONTEOLLEE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12P 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

"uhm-.ull lllllmllllml-IIIIIIL um [minut fue Nokms Fermes co.,WASHINGTON. n. c

OSCAR A. ROSS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TROLLEY-POLE CONTROLLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14,1908. `l

Application filed January 12. 1906.` Serial No. 295.702.

T 0 all 'whom it may concern. l

Be it known that I, OsoAR A. Ross, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Ohi-4 cago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in a Trolley-Pole Controller, of which the following is adescription.

My invention belongs to that class of devices known as trolley polecontrollers or retrievers, and has for its object the production of asimpler, cheaper and more eflie cient device for the purposes set forth.

This controller is placed in any convenient or preferred place on a caror other vehicle, and preferably serves as the base of the trolley pole.IVhen the common form of trolley and base are used, and the trolleywheel jumps from the trolley wire, there is great danger of injuring thecross-wires and overhead supports, as well as the trolley pole itself,and consequently causing perhaps injury to persons and property in thevicinity. In v my device, the trolley pole after jumping off,immediately drops down below the trolley wire, and remains in a positionbelow the wire until thrown back into a normal position. My controlleris also arranged to be adjustable so that the point at which it willallow the pole to drop, is above the highest point in the line.

To this end my invention consists of the novel arrangement,construction, and combination of parts herein shown and described, andmore particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate like orcorresponding parts, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the preferred formof my device, the trolley pole eing in a normal position, that is on thewire in operative position, (complete trolley pole and wire not shown).Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of thesame, showing the position of the parts immediately after the trolleywheel has jumped the wire. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same,showing the position of the parts the trolley pole having dropped to aposition below the trolley wire. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same,showing the manner of returning the pole to a normal position. Fig. 6 isa cross-sectional view taken on line 6 6 of the preferred form shown inFig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 3 is a base preferably secured to a car orthe like, where a device of this kind is used, by means of the stand land pin 2, giving the base 3 a swivel movement. This pin 2 is secured tothe part l in any preferred or suitable manner. The weight of the base 3and the trolley pole in practice is found sufiicient to keep the base onits position on the stand, it is obvious however that any suitable meansmay be employed to positively prevent the same from becoming unseated ifit is so desired.

In my preferred form of construction, I clamp a member 4 on the lowerend of the pole, said member 4, having an extension 10, the two partsforming a bell crank 4-10. This bell crank 4-10 is pivotally secured tothe base at the point 5, by means of the pin 5. It is obvious that thepole 7 and the bell crank 4-10 may be made integral, but the preferredconstruction is to make them in two parts and clamp the same together bymeans of the clamp 20, or other suitable means.

The pole 7 is held in a normal position (see Fig. 1) on the trolley wire(not shown) by exerting a pressure on the arm 10 of the bell crank. Asis shown in the drawings this pressure is sup lied by means of thesprings 17-17, throug the rods 18-18 and pin 9,

to the depression or seat 10 of the arm 10. As the pole 7 leaves thetrolley wire, the springs 17-17 cause the pole to pivot about 5 and riseuntil the pin 9, comes in contact with the disengaging extension 15 onthe base 3, (see Fig. 3). As shown, the eXtension 15 is preferably madeadjustableupon the base 3, being held in place by means of the guides 25and bolts 26. Further movement of the pole upward about the point 5,causes the pin to be-pushed out of its seat at the point 10', and theweight of the ole overcoming the leverage and resiliency o the springsdrops, so that the pin 9 takes a position in the clearance 8 as is shownin Fig. 4.

To give greater wearing surface the belll cranks 4 1() are provided witha iiange or increased surface 21 along the depression 8 and seat 10. Inthis position the trolley wheel and the upper end of the pole is nowbelow the trolley wire. By making the part 15 adjustable, it is obviousthat the height at which the pole will dro or be released will be variedto suit the hig rest point in the line. The bolt 27, assists in theadjustment, and gives a firmer construction.

The springs 17 are preferably of the usual type employed in devices ofthis kind, and

are placed on the rod 22, said rod being prefstruction, providesubstantially knife edges 24, for the rods 18, 18 to pull on, thusallowing for the movements of the rods, as the pin 9 moves. Any othersuitable means may be provided to accomplish this result.

A convenient way of attaching the conducting wires to the stand is shownat 29, the wires passing through the hole and held in place by thescrews.

To return the pin 9 to its normal position in the seat at 10', Ipreferably provide an eX- tension or stop 14 on the base 3, and also thebell cranks 12-13, which are pivotally secured at the point 6 to the arm10 of the bell cranks 4-10, in any suitable manner. On the upper part ofthese bell cranks are suitable extensions 16, 16, adapted to engage thestop 14 when the device is operated, as is more fully explained in theoperation of the controller.

Having thus described the construction and arrangement of the preferredform of my device, the operation is as follows. Referring to Fig. 1, inwhich the trolley wheel is in a position on the wire, the tension of thesprings 17, 17 exerted through the rods 18, 18, to the pin 9, and thusto the arm 1() of the bell crank, tends to pull the trolley pole up, andhence resiliently hold the wheel of the trolley against the wire. fromthe wire the pole assumes a position as is shown in Fig. 3. The pin 9 isthrown into contact with the end of the disengaging member 15, and isforced out and down from its seat in the extended part of the bell crankarm 10. The pin 9 then drops into the lower part of the depression 8 andtakes the position substantially as shown in Fig. 4, the weight of thepole causing it to drop into the position shown (see Fig. 4). Vhen thepin 9 falls into the clearance 8, the sliding meinl ber 28 seats againststop 23, thus relieving member 9 of any pressure so that it will readilydrop into the clearance. The pole is now in a position below the trolleywire and cross-wires. 1t is observed that the lugs 16 on the end of thebell crank arm 13 are in contact with the extension 14, while the pin 9is resting on the arm 12 of the bell crank. lf now the trolleyT pole 7is pulled down as indicated in Fig. 5, the pin 6 moves about the pin 5and the lugs 16 or suitable extensions on the arms 13, 13 of the bellcranks 1.2-13, 12-13, contact with the extension or stop 14 and operatesaid bell crank, the end 12 of the bell crank 12-13 forcing the pin Qback to its seat in a normal position the tension of the springs tend toforce the trolley pole up and hold it into contact again with thetrolley wire.

As the wheel jumps Having thus described my invention it is obvious thatvarious immaterial rchanges may be made in the construction, andarrangement o'f the various parts of my device as for instance modifyingthe knife edges 24,

or design of the base or bell cranks, without.

departing from the spirit of my invention, hence l do not wish to beunderstood as limiting myself to the exact construction shown.

That lclaim as new, and. desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In adevice of the kind described, a base and a trolley pole, in combinationwith resilient retaining means, a supporting member provided with tworetaining seats therein adapted to support the pole at different anglesof inclination, and means for changing the retaining means from one seatto the other, consisting of a disengaging member and a rengaging membercarried by the said supporting member.

2. ln a device of the kind described, a pivotally supported trolley polewith a bell crank extension provided with a seat for engagement with aresilient connecting member, and a movable resilient connecting membercooperating with said seat, in combination with adjustable means forforcing said member from its seat when the pole is disengaged from itsengagement with the wire permitting the pole to drop below the saidwire, and means for normally restoring said connecting member to itsseat.

8. A device of the kind described, comprising a base, a trolley polepivotally supported upon the base provided with a bell crank extensionwith a depression near its free end and a receding clearance betweensaid depression and the trolley pole, in combination with resilientmeans for retaining the pole in a normal position providedv with amovable member adapted to be positioned in said depression when saidpole is in its normal position, and when forced therefrom to move alongsaid clearance, and means for forcing said. movable member out of thedepression when the trolley pole rises above its normal position.

4. A device of the kind described, comprising a stand, a base, a trolleypole pivotally supported upon the base provided with a bell crankextension with a seat near its free end and a receding clearance betweenthe said seatV and the trolley pole,.in combination with means forretaining the pole in a normal position provided with a movable memberadapted to be positioned in said seat when the said pole is in itsnormal position, and when forced therefrom to move along said clearance,means for forcing said movable member out of its seat when the trolleypole rises above its normal position, and means 1erv ally supported uponthe base provided with a bell crank exten-Sion with a seat near its ireeend and a clearance between the said seatJ and the trolley pole, a bellcrank lever pivotally supported upon said extension with the free end ofone arm extended to and traveling in the plane of said clearance and astop arranged in the path of the other arm of said bell crank, incombination with means 'for retaining the pole in a normal positionprovided with a movable member adapted to be positioned in said seatwhen the pole is in a normal position, and means for forcing the saidmovable member out of its seat when the pole rises above its normalposition.

6. ln a device of the kind described, a base and a trolley pole incombination with a supporting member provided with two retaining seats,one arranged above the other, resilient means arranged to operativelycoperate with said seats, means for automatically disengaging theresilient means -from the upper retaining seat when the pole rises abovethe trolley wire and permitting it to automatically sit in the lowerseat, and means for restoring the resilient means for engagement withsaid supporting member at the upper retaining seat by a downward pullupon the free end oi the pole. 7. A device of the kin-d described,comprising a base, a trolley pole pivotally supported upon said base andprovided with an upwardly turned bell crank arm at its lower end havinga seat near its free end, in combination with resilient means adapted tonormally engage the trolley pole at the seat in said arm and maintainthe trolley pole normally in contact with a trolley wire, anda cam iacedmember adapted to disengage the said resilient means and the trolleypole when said pole rises above its normal position.

8. A device of the kind described, comprising a base, a trolley polepivotally supported upon said base and provided at its lower end with anupwardly turned bell crank arm having a seat near its -tree end, incombination with resilient retaining means adapted to normally engagethe trolley pole at the seat in said arm, an adjustable cam 'facedmember adapted to disengage said retaining means and pole when the polerises above its normal position on the trolley wire, means carried bysaid bell crank arm adapted to engage the retaining means and a suitablestop to form a compound lever and rengage the trolley pole and retainingmeans by a downward pull on the liree end of said pole.

9. A device of the kind described, comprising a base, a trolley polepivotally supported upon said base and provided with an upwardly turnedextension at its lower end having a seat near the free end thereof, incombination with retaining means Jfor normally holding the pole incontact with a trolley wire, consisting of a movable member adapted tonormally engage the pole at the seat in said extension, resilient means,and suitable means for connecting said resilient means and movablemember, an extension on said base adapted to engage the movable memberand force it out of its seat when the pole rises above its normalposition, members pivotally secured to said pole extension adapted toengage the movable member and replace it in its seat by a downward pullon the free end of said pole.

10. A device of the kind described, coin- 1l. A device of the kinddescribed, com-` prising astand, a base pivotally supported upon saidstand, a trolley pole pivotally secured to said base, means forretaining said pole in o erative position on a line wire conssting o`resilient members, a yoke and rods connecting said yoke to the pole, anadjustable cam 'facedmember adapted to change the point of attachment ofthe retaining mea'ns on the pole and permit the pole to drop below itsoperative position.

12. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a stand, abase supported upon said stand, a trolley polepivotally secured to saidbase and provided with a plurality of seats for engagement withretaining means, retaining means consisting of springs, a sliding yokeprovided with knife edges for engaging connecting rods, and connectingrods, an adjustable cam'faced extension on the base adapted to changethe point of attachment of the retaining means on the pole when the polerises above its operative position, and means for restoring the saidretaining means to the operative point of attachment on the pole by adownward pull on the free end oi said pole.

13. In a device of the kind described, the combination of a base andmeans for pivotally supporting the same, a trolley pole pivotallysecured to said base and provided with a plurality of places for theattachment of retaining means, retaining means for holding the pole inoperative position on a line wire consisting of springs, a yoke providedwith knife edges, connecting rods and a movable member for engaging thepole, a cam faced extension on said base adapted to change the point ofattachment of the retaining means on the pole' when the same rises aboveits operative position and cause it to automatically retrieve, and meansadapted to cooperate with the base, the pole and the retaining meanswhen the pole is given a downward pull on its free end after beingretrieved, and return the retaining means to its operative point ofattachment.

14. In a device of the kind described, a pivotally supported trolleypole provided with an extension at the lower end thereof, said extensionarranged with a retaining depression therein and a receding clearancebetween said depression and trolley pole, and

a movable, resilient connecting member cooperating with said retainingdepression, in combination with means 'for forcing said movable memberinto said clearance when the pole rises above its operative position,and means for operatively restoring said connecting member to theretaining depression.

ln testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed'my name in the presence oftwo subsoribing witnesses.

OSCAR A. ROSS. Witnesses:

ROY W. HILL, CHARLES I. COBB.

